This movie is well-made, stylish and extremely entertaining. However, as stated by the review from a Hong Kong viewer, there is also depth and subtlety rarely found in action/thrillers. It is this depth that makes this movie brilliant. The depth of this movie is best served by the understated yet deeply moving performances of the main characters. Viewers are allowed into the inner changes of these characters and before long, the viewers begin to care about them, be it the "good guy" (Yan) or the "bad guy" (Ming). The rest of cast successfully relate the complicated and exciting plot to the viewers, and all the supporting performances are almost flawless, perhaps with the exception of the female psychologist who seems sadly one-dimensional. I grew up in Hong Kong but has since lived most of my life in Canada. With this duo-cultural background, I have mixed feelings about the Hollywood remaking of this movie. On the one hand, I am happy for the Hollywood recognition of this great movie by remaking it. On the other hand, I would hate to see how badly sabotaged the end result would be. Some things just do not translate. As a minimum, I hope the great director Scorcese will make good use of the major plot line and generate a haute thriller and with the excellent cast, develop some in-depth characterization. The Chinese philosophy and the spirit of the original film is better left undisturbed.
Review of Infernal Affairs
